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Betela
Betela is a sinister realm in eastern Dalkhrova crushed by the iron fist of military tyranny. It is a region of rolling lowlands swathed in dark forests. The woods are wild, shadowy places filled with vicious predators and unspeakable horrors. The towering trees of Betela have bark so dark it is nearly black. In the eastern parts of the realm, dead trees are unusually common. Stripped of leaves and bark, they stand bleached white like driftwood. Betelan legend says that a tree dies for every person executed by the realm's merciless ruler. The realm's mighty forests are slowly shrinking as the fertile land is cleared for agriculture. Grain is an important export in Betela, and in the late summer, the countryside transforms into fields of swaying gold. The Betel River runs through the heart of the region, beginning in the Draspak Range and flowing into the Horucen River in Usulev. Betela's cities are dark and unfriendly, free of any aesthetic sensibility whatsoever. Homes and shops are squat, efficient structures of unfinished timber and brick stacked densely next to one another. Stone city walls and fortresses are towering, gray, and featureless. Garbage, offal, and mud cover every surface, and the air swarms with horseflies and yellow jackets. Betela's climate is one of extremes, characterized by bitter winters and hot, humid summers. The realm has a serious problem with disease, especially during the summer and in the congested cities. Betelan People Betelans are fair skinned and usually visibly underfed and overworked. Dark blond to medium brown hair is typical, as are hazel to deep brown eyes, though green eyes are not unheard of. Men wear their hair in savage crew cuts, while women grow their hair long, wild, and unkempt. Betelans dress in deliberately drab clothing; to stand out is to draw the attention of the realm's soldiers, which can mean death or worse. Dull earthen colors are common, with men favoring tunics and breeches and women blouses and long skirts. Most commoners wear rag wrappings instead of shoes. Folk who do not belong to the soldiery are usually filthy with mud, dung, lice, and fleas. All Betelans are branded on their foreheads at birth with the ruler's seal, a hawk's head. This clearly identifies Betelans in other lands and reminds every citizen of his true status: property. Betelans are a downtrodden lot. Overtaxed and overburdened, they have little to look forward to but death. The unending horrors of military brutality have eroded any sense of beauty or hope they once harbored in their hearts. Some acquire a brutal personality, taking on the qualities of their military oppressors. Most Betelans, however, are simply passive and just a little paranoid. They tend to be reticent and inhumanly jaded to violence and gore. The Law in Betela Damien Drabek, the mercenary-king, rules Betela with an iron hand. Drabek is infamous not only for perennial aggression against his neighbors, but his unwavering cruelty toward his own people. A restless and bloodthirsty warrior, Drabek seems to oppress his people simply for the sake of doing so, just to see how monstrous he can be. It is widely known that he is a sadist; he is said to demand a nightly execution by impalement to accompany his evening meal. Betela is a military state, pure and simple. There is no civilian government or police force. There is no true aristocracy; soldiers are the highest social class. Drabek's army not only maintains the peace, but also oversees nearly every aspect of public life. Military tribunals conduct all trials, and justice is universally swift and harsh. Punishments are usually shocking public displays of torture and execution, crowned with the unspeakable practice of hanging the bodies of slain criminals to rot on city walls. Not every individual in the army is a warrior. Bureaucrats and other civil servants also receive military commissions and titles. Betelans, however, reserve their greatest hatred and fear for the Talons, Drabek's elite soldiers. Shock troops with a fanatical loyalty to their lord, the Talons are themselves cruel sadists and are whispered to possess nearly supernatural battle prowess. Resources Betela produces a tremendous amount of grain, especially wheat, and it is rapidly solidifying a position as the breadbasket of eastern Dalkhrova. Betelan merchants - guarded by Betelan soldiers, of course - maintain trade outposts throughout Dalkhrova. The exportation of cereals generates a king's ransom for Drabek, which he then uses to fund the maintenance of the army. This vital contribution aside, Drabek has made it quite clear that his is to be a throne of conquest. The mercenary-king has his heart set on adding the fields of Romavia to his realm, and has mounted several invasions. However, nearly every campaign has met with disaster - some spectacularly so - which only enrages Drabek further. Category:Locations Category:Locations in Dalkhrova